NEW YORK CITY BANS THE SALE OF CHEESE WIZ

Did you think a month ago weâ€™d be as amped up for this Phillies series? The mind set of the Mets fan just 30 days ago when the Seattle Mariners came into Shea and bitch slapped our heroes it looked like the last summer at Shea would be one huge disappointment. But here were are one month later and everything is set up for a classic three gamer at the Dive Bar known as Shea. All the elements are in place, heat, humidity, a packed house and Johan Santana who I think will be make his mark tonight as a Met. As pessimistic as I have been about this team this season with the win one-lose one way of playing and I am now coming around to the team will find a way to win. I wanted to go out to Shea for at least one of these games but due to running out of the office early for the past two weeks to play Casey Stengel and starting my vacation next week (two weeks in Cape Cod with a trip to Boston and a visit to Fenway Park and yes have laptop will travel so I will try to post as much as I can)Â I have to catch up on my work so I will be watching from the comfort of my living room (I might even have the laptop on so I may do some posts during the game) Â Â Itâ€™s all you can ask as a fan for your team to give you a summer and stretch run and the Mets are giving us that right now.

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Billy Wagner says itâ€™s nothing but the Mets are still sending him to the doctor to check out his arm which still bothered him yesterday. Now we wait and see how he feels this morning before the send him back to the doctor and maybe an MRI. What would have been the problem with giving Wagner the MRI yesterday? Why wait until today? Have the Mets and the medical staff learned anything from the botched diagnosis of Ryan Church?

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WOW who knew there were so many Marlon Anderson fans out there. The comments and E mail Iâ€™ve gotten seems to put me in the minority when it comes to Mets spare part. My contention is that J-Mann can not afford to put Anderson in the outfield as he is and awful outfielder and as far as second base goes there is no way he should play over Damian Easley or Argenis Reyes as Easley is the better hitter and A. Reyes the superior fielder. As for first base itâ€™s to bad Anderson isnâ€™t a righty hitter as that would be perfect. So the question is would you rather have a guy that you can use exclusively as a pinch hitter or would you rather keep a third catcher or send Nick Evans back to Bingo. Iâ€™d keep both the third catcher and Evans due to his righty bat and let Anderson go.

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The cooks in the Diamond Club will be churning out some extra grub as Philly Phats is coming to town to cover this series. Here is his column today where he asks why Cole Hamels is not going against Santana in game 1

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Top Prospect Alert has a revised list of the top 10 Mets prospects. Of course the Teen Aged Hitting Machine is #1 but the surprise isÂ Ike Davis Â at #2 and Reese Havens Â at #3 and no ranking of RHP Brad Holt who is on a faster track to the big leagues than either of thoseÂ players.

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I donâ€™t hide my hatred for the New York Highlanders, not so much the players but itâ€™s their management that I despise. I hate the way they go through you bags to get into that overrated ball park and if you have a back pack or a brief case they will not allow you to bring them into stadium and force you with no choice but to go across the street to the bowling alley and pay five bucks for them to watch your bag while you go to the game. They have the unmitigated balls to justify this as threats to Homeland Security that goes also with their phony patriotism by playing God Bless America during the 7th inning at every single home game. Well, just when you think the Bronx Bastards have managed to cover every facet of douchebagery they come up with something so outrageous that itâ€™s hard to believe. The storm troopers at the gates of Highlander Stadium will now confiscate sun block (yes you read that right SUN BLOCK) that fans are bringing into the stadium because are you ready for this, it may cause a terrorist threat. Un-fucking-believable. But get this, they SELL sun screen at the concession stands for $5.00 for a one once container. I guess this is justified under the Patriot Act. My favorite quote in the story though comes from Mr. Sean Gavin, a fan attending a recent game:

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“I was really pissed because, since I am Irish and I have a bald head, I need my sun block,” said Sean Gavin, 40, who had to toss his SPF 30 at the gate Saturday.

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“After they saw me dousing myself with it, it should have been obvious to them that it was sun block and not some explosive.”

Comments

I laughed when I saw that sun block think this morning, reported by the GORGEOUS Erica Tarantal on channel 4. Where have they been hiding her?? Anyway, Steve, right on about the Highlanders. They would be tolerable if they were only the team on the field. I like a lot of the players. But everything around them, from King Phony George, to their “truth, justice, and the American way ballclub” arrogant, bullshit image, to their horrendous booths (I call Michael Kay “Colonel Klink”, since he talks about the “glorious” New York Yankees as Klink did with his “higher ups”).

I agree that things are getting crazy and not allowing sun block in is ridiculous. If they are going to do that, then they should maybe charge $1 for a single use container. As far as the sunblock being an explosive, to be the kind of explosive that would do damamge, it would need to be mixed with another chemical to work so if they only have the one container of sunblock, it’s most likely safe. If they want to bring in 2 different containers of a liquid material, then i might be suspicious or unless the one container has 2 compartments. I don’t know but I do know this world is really going down the tubes. I believe we are arguably in the worst times of the history of the human race. You might argue that the Holocaust was the worst or pick a war but right now, everyone lives in fear of something. Our entire lifestyles have changed because of terrorists and political correctness and I only see it getting worse and worse. I believe you will see a nuclear detonation in the United States in our lifetime and then normal life as we know it will surely be over. You know it’s only a matter of time before a suitcase nuke from the old russian cold war years finds its way to a crowded part of the U.S. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already. The sad part is that our children have to live in the world we created. My girls are 9 and 6 years old and I’m terrified to let them play in front of my house and i live at the end of a dead end street.

Sorry for going off on a tangent there Can’t wait to watch the game tonight. I just pray Santana brings his “A” game tonight!

Frank, I don’t think things are that bad, but I agree to an extent. Banning sun block is nonsense, however. I don’t care how you slice it, this is so obviously a stunt to make $$. If not, they’d be offering free sunblock to people who look like they’d really need it. And, the government would have made an announcement that sunblock is that dangerous that it should be banned from subway cars, where such a small bottle bomb would do a lot more damage.

Eagle, I’m not sticking up for the whole sunscreen thing hehe, I agree with you guys that it is ridiculous and yes, if that is the case, have people walk around with sunscreen for people that need it during the game (for free) and you are also right that if you are going to ban it at a ballpark, then you have to ban it everywhere but that would be even dumber.

Back to baseball…Tonight, tied for first with them phightin’ phils, we get to see what kind of heart and stuff Santana is made of.

Santana was in the top 5 best american league pitchers easily the past 5-6 years and he’s still in his prime and when we got him I think at this point in the season, all mets fans were expecting something like 13-4, 2.15 ERA. That’s obviously not the case. CC Sabathia came to the NL and is already 3-0, 1.88 ERA, Hardin has 20 K’s in 12 innings and a 0.73 ERA and Haren is 9-5 2.58 (0.95 whip!)

We got Santana 8-7 3.10 ERA. Not bad but worth around $20 mil a year? I know he’s gotten no run support and technically could be 12-4. I’m not knocking the trade, i’d do it again every single time but do you guys feel he’s the dominant pitcher you were expecting? He is very good but personally, I expected a bit more. They say he’s a second half pitcher and so far his first second half game was a disaster.

I forget where i was going with all that pitcher stuff other than I hope he becomes that big game pitcher, losing streak stopper pitcher, ace that we were all expecting and so far i’m not overy impressed especially since coming from the AL and not facing pitchers and weaker lineups, I was expecting more. I hope he brings it all tonight because tonight we need him the most! Tonight he decides whether we have sole possession of first place or not. I’m scared because Blanton has owned the Mets and Santana gives up his share of tators. My prediction and I really hope I’m wrong: 5-2 Phils. My hope: 10-0 Mets

Eagle I’m usually the voise of doom but I just see Santana rising up tonight to pitch a gem I don’t know if it’s the heat or what but this game tonight has a big game feel to me.

I have the best advice ever for all you single guys out there. You want to meet women? Get yourself a Golden Retriver and wear a golf shirt with a security comapny logo and you will become a chick magnate. In the SI Ferry terminal and in Penn Station they have the dogs to sniff out explosives but all the mutts do is get girls for their handlers all in the name of Homeland Security. Meanwhile cargo ship come into the Port of NY/NJ everyday with no one checking them out. Yeah sunscreen that’s the problem!

not the line up I thought it would be no Tatis and no Schnieder. The People’s Cherice Marlon Anderson gets the LF start and Endy goes to RF I guess J-Mann figures you can only start one defensive deficient OF in a game.

nice hand for Santana from crowd for 1500 career K

It can’t jusr be the new mgr that has Delgado rejuvenated can it? Keith Hernandez kind of hinted to that after the Delgado Dinger.

Jesse Orosco in the house taking down the number on the Shea outfield wall og games remaining maybe he can be activated tonight to spell Wags and his spasms

a cat ran into the Phillies dugout not a black cat a la 1969 and the Cubs and Keith wanted to know where the cats will go once Shea comes down those cats won’t go far as long as the Iron Triangle is there with it’s abundance of rats-four legged and two legged ones- there will be cats

what a disaster now Feliciano boots a ball back to the box and another run scores 8-5 phillies J man will be second guessed on not letting Santana pitch the 9th but that’s not the story it’s Sanchez failing to get the save and not stepping up with Wagner down this just unbeleiveable Sanchez, Smith Felicaino and now Heilman after Santana pitched a gen through 8 ininngs

Cohen brings up Chavez getting thrwon out at the plate twice in this game

I can’t wait to here J Man on this one how does Santana come out with your closer down and your ace at 105 pitches this is a fucking disaster from base runing to the bone head play by Reyes to Feliciano who should be cut from the fucking team after this

Just a disgrace a fucking disgrace I need to hear from Santana as well as he pitched why wasn’t here out there in the 9th inning

Reynolds says Santana should have gone out. We all agree, and this is the second time this situation happened in a little over 2 weeks. WTF? Santana will go with the program and not throw J Man under the bus, but come on, J Man. He’s on now.

Harold Reynolds is right J-Man took a page out of managing 101 when the team loses take the blame when the team wins give the players credit

Bottom line even though Santana should have gone out for the 9th Sanchez has to step up and get 3 fucking outs in the 9th oh and Felicano should be released tonight oh yeah I said that already I’m fucking beside myself after this debacale

J man was cool and collected during his presser I’d have bust a vein in my head

After listening to Santana it’s hard to get pissed at him for not pitching the 9th as it safe to say Johan is far from a proma donna. We fans want him to tell J Man that he has to pry the ball out of his cold dead hands to get him out of the game but Santana says he went with what the managers plan was So our beef has to be with J Man and not Johan

This is the second time Johan implied that he wanted to go out for the ninth (like the 4th of July game). May be a good time for them all to get on the same page. Between Warthan, J Man and Johan, figure this shit out. Is it 100 pitches, or what?

Amazing J Man was able to laugh during the post game. I wasn’t able to.

I’ve already barfed 3 times today just thinking about last nights game and waste of 3 hours of my life. In defense of Reyes, this same exact thing happened to me in my last company softball game couple weeks ago. I play shortstop and same deal, (except only man on first and second) with 1 out. Ground ball up the middle i get it and think i can tag the base and throw the runner out at first but realize i’m farther than i thought and by the time i realized this, all runners were safe and I felt like an ass. Of course, our second baseman is a girl who couldn’t catch a soft toss from 3 feet away so I really had no choice.

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